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It's finally Spring! Let's plan a party to celebrate. Here are some fun and festive Spring party ideas, from food and activities to decor, we are sharing our favorites today! Spring Party Food Let's talk food first. You'll need a signature drink or main food that's the center of the food table. Here are some fun ideas. Lavender Lemonade Mini Flower Tarts Greek Pasta Salad Veggie Pizza Cheshire Cat Tails Seafood Pasta Salad Flower Garden Parfaits Banana Pudding Spring Party Activities We always have a fun craft or activity to do at the party. We are sharing a few fun ideas from fairy gardens to butterfly crafts. Fairy Garden DIY Candle Painting Bird Feeder Craft DIY floral bunny headband Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Paint DIY Wildflower Seed Bombs Flower Jar Craft Spring Party Decor Set the right vibe with these floral Spring party decor finds. Of course, don't forget the fresh flowers. I prefer wildflowers in the spring, but daisies, tulips, or roses are all stunning! Floral paper plates Floral backdrop Wildflower banners Fresh flowers Hello Spring Porch Banner Tissue Paper Flowers

No-sew Blanket This no-sew blanket is a perfect easy craft to do with a friend or by yourself while you watch a movie. Supplies: Fleece - 2 large pieces, however large you like, see below for sizes Scissors Measuring board - optional Step 1: Choose 2 coordinated pieces of fleece . We choose this gorgeous watercolor fleece fabric (currently out of stock) and a matching minty green to be the back. **I suggest using 1.5 yards to create a child-size blanket. 1 yard makes a good-sized blanket too, but would only work for a smaller child or baby. Of course, you could always go bigger and make a 2 yard blanket which would be good for an adult size blanket. For fleece here are some good places to start shopping - here , here , and here . Step 2: Layer the two pieces of fabric together and trim your edges to even them up, remove any fabric info and to make sure they line up correctly. Step 3: Cut out a 4 x 4-inch square from each corner of your blanket. Step 4: Cut strips – about 4 inches long and 1 inch apart, along all four sides of your blanket. Kind of like a fringe. Step 5: Fold your “fringe” back at the base and snip a small cut in the middle of each fringe piece. Maybe 1/2 inch, just big enough to loop your fabric through in the following step. Step 6: Fold back both layers of the fringe and loop through the snip. Step 7: Pull your fringe loop tight. My daughter calls these little fortune cookies. They help your blanket lay flatter and then you don’t have knots around the edges. Kids are great helpers for this part. My daughter and I sat across the table from each other and just talked while we worked on this blanket.

As we move into the new year there will inevitably be new trends that pop up. We are taking a look back at trends we noticed from 2024, that we are keeping in 2025. Beauty Trends Red light therapy - items like this facial massager that offer multiple color therapies as well as heat and massage, are great for lymph drainage, reducing fine lines, as well as increasing muscle tone and product absorption. Satin pillowcases - satin pillowcases aren't a new thing, but they made a comeback in 2024 and we are keeping them around for our skin and hair! Hydrating masks - keep your skin hydrated with this overnight hydro mask that turns white as the nutrients are absorbed into your skin. We're still obsessed with this. Pimple patches - No more picking at our skin, pimple patches can be cute or demure and help prevent scarring from skin damage. We like the discrete Mighty Patches or the cute StarFace patches . Home trends Air purifiers - help keep your home air clean by removing dust, smoke, and pollutants in minutes for better air health. Dopamine decor - Out with the beige mom aesthetic, we are creating spaces that bring us joy and are full of life. Find your style and embrace it in your home. Cozy wear - Being comfy in my own home, say less. Does anyone else immediately change when they come home? Whether it's my favorite pajamas, cloud shoes , buttery soft leggings , or a cozy blanket , I'm bringing comfort into the new year with me. Smart Homes - Adding things like the Echo Dot to create a smart home where you can dim lights with voice commands, listen to your favorite music, or ask questions. Smart homes are making things easier and I'm here for it. Being more sustainable - Whether it's through laundry sheets , reusable beeswax wraps , or creating a kitchen scrap garden, we're making small changes that we hope will have a big impact to our world. Food trends Chopped salads - Chopped salads went viral in 2024. With the help of gadgets like this vegetable chopper , we intend to keep chopped salads around for a while. They are easy and healthy and perfect to meal prep for lunches. Coffee at Home - Unless I'm having a really busy day, I focus on making my coffee at home. I know the savings aren't going to pay for a vacation or buy me a house but I enjoy making my personalized coffee at home. Would you like to see more coffee recipes? Cucumber salads - We are going to be keeping around all these bright and crisp cucumber salads that trended in 2024. Fun with food - whether it's cooking from a new cookbook, making your own pasta or bread, or trying new cuisines, we're going to keep having fun with food in 2025. Lifestyle Trends Hygee - learning it's okay to slow down and embrace and enjoy life's simple pleasures. We shared 10 ways to hygee this winter last winter and we're sticking to it again this winter. Micro-learning - Adding more books , podcasts, or classes to learn throughout the year instead of always doom scrolling. Mental health - embracing mental health, being aware of our boundaries, and realizing it's okay to say no to things if you are feeling burned out or overwhelmed. Saying yes to things you know would be good for you. Also, embracing self-care (see cozy, hygee, and beauty trends above) What trends will you be keeping in 2025?

My friend gave me this potato soup recipe years and years ago. I tweaked it a little over the years, however, it still remains one of our rainy-day favorites. I use heavy cream in my recipe, but you could substitute it for milk if you have it. I usually use whatever cheeses I have on hand. I usually have cheddar, swiss, and mozzarella cheeses in my fridge so that's become my base recipe. In the past, I've used a variety of different cheese combinations. That's the great thing about cooking. You can totally make changes to a recipe to suit your likes or use up things you have in your fridge. Three Cheese Potato Soup Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced smoked sausage, sliced olive oil 2.5 cups chicken broth 4-5 medium potatoes 2.5 cups heavy cream or milk 1 cup cheddar cheese 1 cup mozzarella cheese 1 cup Swiss cheese Directions: 1. Start a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil and cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Boil in salted water for about 10 mins or until tender. 2. Meanwhile, in a large pot sauté onions, garlic, and sausages in olive oil over medium heat until the onion is slightly browned and soft. 3. Stir in chicken broth. Dump in drained potatoes and mash with a potato masher until smooth, some lumps are okay. 4. Add in salt and pepper to taste (I've added smoked paprika before) and stir in heavy cream or milk. 5. Stir in cheeses, leaving a little for topping. 6. Feel free to adjust the milk and chicken stock if the soup is too thick. 7. Once it's heated through, scoop it into bowls, top it with cheese, and serve. These Soup Bowls are my favorite for presenting cute soups and stews! Shop them here: I like to serve my potato soup with a big German pretzel or some crusty bread and a cold beer!

I'm a creative person at heart and that carries on into the kitchen. I like creating and cooking new and novel meals for my family whenever I have time. Recently, I decided to try my hand at homemade pappardelle. I had a craving for luscious noodles and a rich beef ragu sauce with lots of parmesan cheese (check back soon for the sauce recipe). So, "for fun" I decided to try my hand at making my own pasta. It can't be that hard I thought, and they weren't, and let me tell you, they were delicious. You don't need any fancy tools for this recipe, just a clean counter, rolling pin, and knife. This is more time consuming so make sure to save it for a weekend night when you have more time to devote. I would say it took 15 minutes to create the dough, 20 minutes for it to sit, and then about 30 more minutes to roll it out. Overall, set aside at least an hour or even 1.5 hours of time to create this pasta. It's totally worth it though! Homemade Pappardelle *makes 8 servings Ingredients: 4 eggs 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt small bowl of cold water plastic wrap Directions: On a clean counter, create a large mound with your flour, make a hole in the middle, and add your eggs, olive oil, and salt right into the hole. Make your bowl of cold water and set it nearby to have while you make your dough. Slowly, with a fork, start adding in flour little by little into your eggy middle. Once the side of my flour pile broke, but I just scooped it all together and started using my hands to mix it. It will look kind of fluffy and jagged. Keep working it together. Add about a tablespoon or two of the cold water to your mixture until it starts to form a dough. I think I added about 6 tablespoons to this batch. Using your hands, create a ball with the dough, kneading it until it's smooth and slightly elastic feeling, about 10 minutes. It should look like this below. If it's too sticky add a little flour until it's more like a playdough texture. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or covered in a bowl, and let sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature. Once it's sat, take a knife or bench/dough scraper and cut the dough in 4 pieces like a pie. Place the unused dough back in the plastic wrap until you are ready for it. On a clean, floured surface (I used the counter) use your hands to slightly press down the dough and use the rolling pin to roll it out. Make sure to keep dough, counter, and rolling pin floured to keep it from sticking. Roll out your dough slightly thinner than you think because it will puff up a bit when cooking. I just eyeballed this part. Once you have it rolled out as thin as you like it, take a knife and cut strips about 1 inch wide and about 12 inches long. It's okay if they aren't perfect that makes it more homemade. Add a little bit of flour to a bowl, baking pan, or space on your counter, grab the noodles in the middle and drag them in the flour to lightly coat them. Swirl noodles into "nest" on a cutting board or baking sheet until ready. Repeat the same process with the remaining 3 mounds of dough. * I've found that each "nest" makes about 2 servings of pasta. Lastly cook or store your pasta (see below) and serve with your favorite sauce! Cook: To cook the pappardelle, boil a large pot of water. Cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness) in boiling water until al dente. You can finish off the noodles in your sauce of choice. Store: I usually cook my pasta the same day, but you can store it, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days or lay it flat on a baking sheet in the freezer for a few hours, and then transfer it to a plastic bag for storing in the freezer. I think I doubled the cooking time when I froze my last batch, but test the doneness to your liking.

We made some Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Paint with the kids as a way to spend some time outdoors creating art on the sidewalk in front of our house! Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Paint Supplies: 1/3 cup flour 1/3 cup water 1 tsp liquid dish soap (I used Dawn) 1/2 stick of sidewalk chalk, crushed 8oz squeeze bottles Plastic baggie for crushing chalk Hammer for crushing chalk Small bowl for mixing ingredients Knife and cutting board for cutting chalk Funnel Scissors (some of the paint was too thick for the holes in the bottle so I cut the tip off a little to make the hole bigger.) Note: This recipe is for making 1 color of chalk. Repeat this recipe as many times for as many colors of chalk as you want. Directions: Cut your sidewalk chalk in half and place it in a plastic baggie. On a hard surface like the sidewalk, use the hammer to crush the piece of sidewalk chalk into a powder. 3. In a bowl, mix together the flour, water, soap, and chalk powder. Stir until well combined. 4. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into squeezable containers. 5. Repeat steps as many times as needed to create several different chalk colors. Have fun creating art! The kids loved writing and drawing with our new paint. Shop Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Supplies:

It was recently my birthday (yay, me!) and now I'm fully regretting not throwing a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party with my friends. We listen to Taylor a lot in this house and I'm always down for a fun party! Would it be too late to throw a party with Taylor Swift, singing at the top of your lungs, and heart-shaped glasses as the theme? Regardless of if I end up pulling my life together enough to do a party, I wanted to share with you my ideas for a Taylor-themed bash! This would be the perfect opportunity to have a 1989 TV album listening party! You could go all out in a specific Taylor album-themed party, but this party inspiration board is for an all-around Eras Themed Party. Eras Tour Tapestry // Disco Balloons // Bracelet Making Kit // TS Guitar Banner and Cupcake Topper s // Inflatable Guitars // Pastel Rainbow Party Plates // Champagne Problems Banner // Number 13 temporary hand tattoos // Holographic Garland // Instax Camera // Butterfly Drink Markers // All Too Well Wine Label // TS Birthday Banner // Heart Glasses // Karaoke Machine // Disco Cups // Confetti Poppers // Fake Microphones Shop our newest Taylor Swift-themed gift guide! We've got TTPD inspired gifts for the tortured poets! Looking for more Taylor Swift ideas for your party?! We've got cookies, drinks, gifts, and crafts that would add that special touch to your Eras party! Make sure you bring your Swiftie a fun gift! Shop our Swiftie Gift Guide for ideas! You've gotta have the Chai Cookies that Taylor Swift made during her secret sessions for 1989! Let's talk cocktails. We were inspired by Midnights to create this Lavender Haze cocktail . It has a soft lavender color with a frothy egg finish to look like her lavender haze clouds. Want something non-alcoholic, this Lavender Lemonade is just the thing. Floral and refreshing, it's the right balance of sweet and tart! Make an Eras Tour shadow box to display your concert or party pictures! You could frame some of the party pictures you take with your Instax camera. Make the friendship bracelets and then make this Lover House Bracelet Holder to store and display them in! Have so much fun at your Taylor Swift Party!

It's no secret to my close friends, that I'm a HUGE Swiftie! Most of the time, if you get in my car, Taylor Swift is playing, and I'm not sorry about it. My daughter and I were lucky enough to be able to attend night 2 of The Eras Tour! It was the best time and we traded so many friendship bracelets. When we came home, we created this DIY Lover/Folklore House Friendship Bracelet Holder to store all my daughter's Friendship Bracelets from the show. Supplies: Clear birdhouse (this one or this one) Lover House printable (Just search for this on Google) Friendship Bracelet printable Eras tour printable Moss Hot glue gun Scissors Glue dots pencil Directions: 1. Print your Lover House background and lay your birdhouse over the house and draw an outline of where you want to cut. NOTE: First, using Word, I cropped my Lover house to the edges of the house. Then, I resized the house to as big as I could get the actual house on the paper by opening it as a Word document, putting it on the landscape, and then using the ruler at the bottom to see how big I needed to print the image, based on the size of my birdhouse. For example, if the bottom of the birdhouse is 6 in, resize the width of your birdhouse to 6 inches and the height will auto-adjust to keep the house to scale. The dimensions of the house aren't quite the same as the birdhouse (the pitch is steeper) so you'll have to cut the top corners of the 1989 and Lover rooms but it doesn't really affect the overall look. Also, since the pitch of the roof is much steeper on the birdhouse so you'll probably have to include some of the sky at the top instead of cutting right along the roof outline. You can barely notice once it's all put together. 2. Once you've cut out your house background to fit how you like, use glue dots to glue the paper inside the birdhouse. I had to add a little tip of the night sky around the Lover House to the top of my house because the dimensions of the Lover House don't exactly match the dimensions of the birdhouse but you can't tell once it's all put together. (See the tip of extra sky I tapped in the top of the room by my fingers below) 3. Print the friendship saying printable and the eras tour printable (linked below) and cut to fit inside your birdhouse on the front and sides. I laid my birdhouse down on top of the paper and then outlined it and cut it to fit inside. Resize as needed to fit your particular birdhouse. Glue those inside your birdhouse using glue dots. *I created the Friendship lyric printable using a font called Taylor Swift based on her handwriting and created the Eras Tour stars to match the colors in the Eras Tour collage of images. Friendship Bracelet Lyric Printable Eras Tour Stars Printable 4. Now add a touch of Folklore! I measured and cut this moss mat to fit on the roof of my house. I glued it down with hot glue. Now, you can fill your Lover/Folklore house with your friendship bracelets, tickets, or other mementos from your Eras Tour concert! We had so much fun making our friendship bracelets for the concert! We went the opening weekend, so we were nervous that people wouldn't be trading them, but we traded with SO many nice people and had such a blast doing it! I highly recommend making bracelets for your concert night too! For our friendship bracelets, we mostly used colorful beads and these alphabet beads to spell out song or album names. We also used these glow-in-the-dark alphabet beads for some of our bracelets! We added charms to several of ours. One of our favorite bracelets that we made multiple ones of was this "Karma is a cat" bracelet with these cat charms on them! I hope you guys have as much fun making this project as I did! Do you have plans to go to The Eras Tour? Let me know in the comments! Shop Friendship Bracelet Supplies: beads alphabet beads If you're in a Lavender Haze mood, check out our Lavender Haze Cocktail recipe, the Lavender Lemonade, a refreshing mocktail, to sip on while you are crafting! And keep the craft party going with our Eras Tour Confetti Shadow Box DIY and DIY Friendship Bracelet Glasses Throw your own Taylor Swift Party with these fun ideas! Check out my party post.

This easy breakfast casserole has all the savory breakfast favorites, in a casserole form. I enjoy making and serving this on Christmas morning. It's perfect to make ahead and keep in the fridge until you're ready to cook it. Just make it up the day before and then it can be baking while everyone is opening presents and nobody is stuck in the kitchen cooking and missing the fun! We have made many varieties of this casserole by swapping out the meat and cheeses or adding other things like mushrooms or tomatoes. This one is a classic and one that I come back to year after year. Easy Breakfast Casserole Ingredients: 28 oz bag of frozen Potatoes O'Brien (potatoes with onions and peppers) 1 lb breakfast sausage, cooked (I used Jimmy Dean regular) 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated 8 eggs 1 1/3 cup milk 1 tsp Italian seasoning salt and pepper cooking spray Directions: Spray a thin layer of cooking spray in a 9 x13 glass baking dish or pan. On the stove, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage. Be sure to break up the sausage as it cooks and cook it until no pink remains. Drain off any excess grease. Add the frozen hashbrowns to your sprayed dish. Top the hashbrowns with the cooked sausage and grated cheddar cheese. In a large bowl, crack the eggs and add in the milk, salt and pepper to taste, and the Italian seasoning (or other seasoning you prefer). Whisk together well. Pour your egg mixture over the hashbrown mixture in the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, set the casserole out for 30 minutes ahead of time to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Uncover and bake for 50-60 minutes or until middle is cooked through. I put mine on broil the last few minutes to brown the top. We served ours with a little sour cream and fresh chives. Refrigerate any leftovers. Note: This can also be created and baked immediately. You can swap the sausage for bacon or ham and can use any other type of cheese you would like to mix it up.

My dog's name is Ollivander Hamilton Waffles. We call him Ollie for short, and a variety of random nicknames, as you do. Yes, he was named after a Harry Potter Character, Alexander Hamilton, and breakfast food! Since it was recently Ollie's birthday, I'm sharing a few of our favorite dog finds that he loves! Bark Box Subscription - He has gotten these on and off over the past few years. I've gotten them in different subscription lengths for his birthday or Christmas and he's always excited to open the box. It's fun to get doggie mail! The treats are hit or miss for him but he loves getting the toys out of the box and they're always a cute theme! He barely waits for me to cut the tags off of everything! Santa Toy - This is Ollie's favorite toy that he's had since his first Christmas. It's such a beloved toy that he keeps it out year-round. Does anyone else rotate their dog's toys? Licky Mat - Great for freezing a treat for later. We like to freeze Greek yogurt, blueberries, peanut butter, and a few nibbles of random treats or dried sardines on ours. Cactus Chew Toy - This is one of the chew toys that has lasted the longest. He had a different chewy cactus toy, but this one has stood the test of time and is the one he goes for when he's the most hyped up and really wants to play. Donut Dog Bed- He has 2 of these beds, one for his kennel area where he stays if we are gone for the day, and one in our room. He loves snuggling in this and I've even caught our cats sleeping in from time to time. Nosey Nose Game - This is a fun interactive game that stimulates their mind and gets them engaged. It's scentwork training and eventually, once they learn the scent you can hide it and they will find it. Did you see our DIY snuffle mat, that's fun for their noses too! Cactus Dog Baggie Holder - This cute cactus baggie holder was a gift from a friend when we first got Ollie and it's still our favorite to attach to our leashes for walks. Gotta be a good pet owner and clean up after them on walks! Portable Water Bottle - Perfect for trips to the dog park or hikes with your pup. We like that it's got a space for water and treats. It can be locked when not in use and then unlocked to fill the drinking reservoir for your pup to get sip. It also has a handle for easy carrying. Cooling Mat - This is a must-have for those hot summer days! Ollie loves laying on this when his donut bed is too hot. Waterproof Jacket - We don't get many really cold winter days here but when we do we like to wear this cute jacket, especially when it snows! I adore the plaid! Edible Dog Bubbles - You know how dogs are basically toddlers? Well, bubbles are a hit with both toddlers and dogs! Ollie likes chasing these peanut butter-flavored bubbles. Treat Puzzle - We like to keep him entertained and this tornado treat puzzle is a fun one we pull out every few weeks. It has multiple layers and he has to use his paw and nose to move the layers to get the treats underneath each section. There are even little bones that you can use to "cover" treats to be discovered. ZukesTreats - Of course his absolute favorite treats were a seasonal find at Petco that I bought one year around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Luckily, I can get these turkey + cranberry tree treats year-round on Amazon. Ball Blaster - He loves chasing tennis balls in our backyard and he goes bananas when we pull out this ball blaster from Nerf. We got the one that comes with 3 balls because even though he loves chasing them, he doesn't do a very good job of bringing the balls back. And just because he's my absolute baby, here are some photos of him enjoying some of the items listed above. He truly does love all these dog finds and that's why I'm sharing them with you, because maybe your pup will love them too! Be sure to check out our DIY dog snuffle mat and if you're a Harry Potter fan, you may like our Butterbeer Milkshake recipe too!

Did you know that this August has 2 full moons? The Sturgeon Moon is on August 1st and the Blue Moon is on August 30th. We thought it would be fun to share some DIY moon sand. This DIY Moon Sand is easy to make at home for kiddos of any age. Yes, while it's a huge hit with toddlers and preschoolers, even older kids like tweens and teens can enjoy the sensory experience of moon sand. It's super easy to make, super fun to play with, and only takes 2 ingredients. Easy DIY Moon Sand Ingredients: 8 cups flour 1 cup baby oil Note: I used all-purpose flour for my moon sand. Directions: In a large container, measure out the 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil. I used my hands to mix this together really well. At first, it feels really weird. Kids might like helping with this part too, but it won't have the moon sand texture until it's all mixed really well so that it's evenly coated. Once your moon sand is mixed thoroughly, you can enjoy playing with it. Squishing it between your fingers or using little sand molds to create different shapes. Little ones will enjoy scooping and measuring and creating shapes in the sand. You can add little toys like these dinosaur figurines for another fun way to play with the moon sand. This makes a pretty good size amount of moon sand to be able to play with and make shapes. You can double to recipe for even more fun or cut it in half if you don't want to make as much. When we are done playing with the moon sand we make sure to close the lid up so it keeps our moon sand doesn't dry out. We have had our moon sand for a few weeks and it's still going strong, so I'm not sure exactly how long it will last. Shop Project Supplies: How will you play with your moon sand? Looking for another summer craft idea? Check out our Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Paint for outdoor fun!

We moved over the summer and I thought it would be a good time to share our top tips for moving and packing that we find make our moves go smoother. Declutter as you Go We started weeks before we moved and decluttered small spaces when we had time. We would start with one closet or kitchen cabinet at a time. Things like our linen closet ended up being a storage space for things we weren't ready to get rid of at the time, but after having it in the closet for a while, we were able to part with things we didn't have a sentimental attachment to. This is a great time to sell things on local resell pages and make donations to thrift stores. Save Money by Packing Yourself If you can, pack as much as you can in the weeks before your moving day. We spent many nights and weekends packing up things we had in our house that we didn't "use" every day. Books, decor, linen closet, 80% of the kid's toys, unique kitchen items, seasonal decor, we packed it all. All the movers we called charge by the hour and that can add up quickly when they are packing everything. Also, you can take the time to purge anything you don't want and trash doesn't get packed with your belongings. I'm not even kidding, we've had trash get packed with our bathroom items in a previous move. It's not fun. Get Boxes from Your Local Community. If you really want to buy boxes, I suggest getting the same size boxes to make packing easier. Medium boxes with handles were what we used the most because we could move them easily after they were packed. But, we saved a lot of money by posting in local Facebook groups asking if anyone had boxes we could use. After our move, we posted "free moving boxes" in our neighborhood group and they were gone within an hour. Pack a First-night Box This is going to be the box you unpack first, but one that you pack last. Pack this box with things you will need to spend the first night in your new home. Pack things like bedding, pillows, air mattresses (if you won't have furniture right away), toiletries, basic tools (hammer, screwdrivers, scissors, or box cutter), first aid kit, flashlight, phone chargers, and important medication. Don't forget things like comfort items for kids. We let our kids pick two snuggle toys each a book and a nightlight to have that first night so that transition goes a little bit easier. Label Everything In the moment, it's easy to think you'll remember what you packed where, but honestly, once you get a stack of boxes, you start wondering, which box that item was packed in. Labeling helps so much when you go to unpack. And don't just put "kitchen", take it another step and put "plates and mugs" etc. so you will know what you are unpacking on the other end. When we moved we didn't have the same storage space in our kitchen and had to figure out what we wanted unpacked first and what could stay packed up a little longer until we could figure out what the new spot was going to be. Make a Master List Write down anything and everything you think of as you prepare to move. This could include things like calling the movers to confirm a moving date, setting up new internet, finding a cleaner, and starting water service. This list can be used by the entire family so everyone knows what has already been done and what can be done by them. Take it from us, call to set up as much as you can. We filled out an online water start service but when we signed the papers for our house, the next day the water was shut off and wasn't switched to our name like it was supposed to be. I had to call the company and found out their online forms were backed up. However, since I called she was able to schedule service to be turned back on that Monday. Luckily, we were still staying in our old house for a few days, but it was still a hassle. Schedule a Cleaner Whether it's cleaning the old house or cleaning the new house, moving is a lot of work and while we only booked a cleaner for our old house and cleaned the new house ourselves, it saved us a lot of time. We did general cleaning, but let our cleaning service do all the nitty gritty work and we had a receipt for our landlords as well. Take Photographs Not only because it may be your kids' "first room" or maybe it's your first home together. But, also take pictures of random things like how that gallery wall is organized or how you organized the shelves in the garage to hold all our holiday decorations. Create an Important Folder. Keep receipts related to the move in the folder and any personal and financial paperwork you want to keep safe. We got a zippable folder and kept pest control, lawn care, and our cleaner receipts, and copies of our recent bills so we had account numbers easily accessible, passports, birth certificates, things like that. This stayed with us and made it easy to know where important things were at any given time. Plan Meals to Use up Food Take the time to go through and see what things you can use up from your freezer, fridge, and pantry before you move. While you're at it, go through those spices and get rid of the outdated ones. We don't need to move things unless we have to. Make Time for Self-care Moving is hard and stressful and takes so much time. Make sure you make time to do something for yourself too. Go see a movie, have a dinner date, go for a hike, schedule a massage, plan an outing with friends. Whatever it is that feeds your soul and creates joy for you, make sure you schedule some time to do that. Yes, schedule it. Even if it's planning a day to put on pajamas early and watch a movie with snacks, make yourself a priority too. Best Moving Supplies: Medium Boxes with Handles Safe Box Cutter Packing tape Space saver bags Moving labels Foam Sheets 39 piece General Tool Set Tips for moving with pets and kids Moving with Kids Make sure you honor their feelings. Kids can get pretty attached to their rooms, neighborhood parks, friends, school, etc. If you're making a big move, it can be especially overwhelming for them. Allow them to express those big feelings and understand that they might be sad and excited at the same time, and that's okay. - Offer times to talk about those big feelings. - Get them excited to decorate their new room. New paint, new wall decor, new bedding, whatever it is, sometimes shopping and buying something new for their room can help get them to feel excited about their new space. - Let them help pack. This applies mostly to older kids, but let them get involved. They can pack their own toys in boxes and choose what they want to go in their first night box. - Do something fun once you move. We hit up our neighborhood pool pretty quickly after we moved. It was a good chance for all of us to destress and do something fun together. Moving with Pets First and foremost, know your pets. If your pet is laid back, it might be less stressful for them, but some pets don't like moving and learning a new place at all. - Make them a safe space whether it's a kennel or a room, with hiding space, while there are so many moving people and so much noise in their space. - Book them into a doggy daycare or kennel if you feel you need to. Maybe it's overwhelming to think about managing them while you pack and move. - Make sure you have enough food and pack their beds and bowls in the first night box. - If you're moving to a new town, make sure to find a new vet and get records sent over, especially if they are on medication or a special diet. - For our cats, we set them up immediately in the office room with a litter box and water. They had a desk they could hide under and on top of while they got used to the new smells and sounds of the new house. Moving is a lot, but you can do it, and it's always fun to decorate a new home!